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Land
Special Issues
Efficient Land Use and Sustainable Development in European Countries
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Efficient Land Use and Sustainable Development in European Countries

A special issue of Land (ISSN 2073-445X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 2050

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Armands Auziņš

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Guest Editor
Institute of Governance and Security, Faculty of Engineering Economics and Management, Riga Technical University, 6 Kalnciema Street, LV-1048 Riga, Latvia
Interests: land use management; spatial planning; sustainable development; public value capture; institutional economics
Dr. Andreas Hendricks

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, Institute of Geodesy, Universität der Bundeswehr München, 85577 Neubiberg, Germany
Interests: land management; real estate valuation; land policy; public value capture
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesco Botticini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil, Engineering, Architecture, Land, and of Mathematics, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy
Interests: urban and spatial planning; GIS analysis; environmental assessments; ecological networks and green infrastructures; public value capture
Prof. Dr. Vida Maliene

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
2. Department of Land Use Planning and Geomatics, Vytautas Magnus University Agriculture Academy, Studentu 11, LT-53361 Akademija, Kaunas Distr., Lithuania
Interests: sustainable communities; urban regeneration; healthy and sustainable housing; green building; real estate management and valuation
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Land use, land resource demands, and landscape management practices are linked to many of contemporary society's environmental, climatic, and socio-economic challenges. Measuring land use efficiency is pivotal for guiding land use management decisions and promoting more effective and efficient land utilization strategies. Various methods for assessing land use efficiency and facilitating sustainable development have been proposed in the global context. Efficiency measures can be applied to solve conflicting land use interests. Efficiency can be fostered by promoting densification policies that can be translated into actions aimed at redeveloping existing abandoned and derelict urban sites instead of creating new neighborhoods outside urban containment areas. Scholars have recently argued for grounding, sustainable urban regeneration policies that can, on one hand, reduce the consumption of undeveloped land and, on the other hand, increase densification in urban areas, creating the conditions to develop public value capture policies. Linking sustainability with cultural aspects, it becomes relevant to consider fostering urban development without losing local identity; involving the private subjects in the development process when the urbanization of natural land is more convenient for them but often not for society; and relating the development effects to different types of rights, restrictions, and responsibilities. These are a few implications associated with the public value capture tools utilized to foster land use efficiency. However, they must be addressed to achieve a more sustainable urban development that aims to create value by enhancing local assets and features.

The goal of this Special Issue is to collect papers (original research articles and review papers) to provide new knowledge of the European scope and give insights about linking land use efficiency with sustainable development. We welcome empirical research or conceptual/theoretical works examining key processes that include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Institutional frameworks and policy review;
  • Land use management and territorial governance;
  • Linking land use and value creation;
  • Implementing ecosystem services in land management;
  • Land use efficiency and value capture;
  • Value-led development planning and value capture instruments;
  • Land system science and sustainable development;
  • Sustainability science for policy-making.

We look forward to receiving original research articles and reviews.

Prof. Dr. Armands Auziņš
Dr. Andreas Hendricks
Dr. Francesco Botticini
Prof. Dr. Vida Maliene
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Land is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • land management
  • land use and development
  • value capture instruments
  • sustainability
  • comparative analysis
  • socio-economic evaluation
  • geospatial analysis
  • environmental assessment
  • ecosystem services
  • territorial governance

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2878 KiB  
Article
Harnessing Street Canyons for Comprehensive Nature-Based Solutions
by Gabriela Maksymiuk, Joanna Adamczyk, Renata Giedych, Dorota Pusłowska-Tyszewska, Magdalena Kuchcik and Agata Cieszewska
Land 2025, 14(3), 531; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14030531 - 3 Mar 2025
Viewed by 446
Abstract
Transport areas in urban environments typically cover 10–20% of a city’s area. Due to their hierarchical structure and network layout, they present a unique opportunity to integrate Nature-based Solutions (NbSs) within cities strategically. In Poland, however, the current use of NbSs in streetscapes [...] Read more.
Transport areas in urban environments typically cover 10–20% of a city’s area. Due to their hierarchical structure and network layout, they present a unique opportunity to integrate Nature-based Solutions (NbSs) within cities strategically. In Poland, however, the current use of NbSs in streetscapes tends to be sporadic, localized, and often resulting from grassroots initiatives. This study aimed to assess how much the provision of ecosystem services (ESs) in cities depends on and can be enhanced by NbSs. To explore this, simulations were conducted using six NbSs scenarios, selected based on an analysis of solutions specifically designed for streets and their characteristics. This research focused on a densely built and populated district of Warsaw. The findings revealed that applying NbSs can significantly reduce stormwater runoff, increase carbon sequestration, and improve air quality. The level of ES provision depends on the solutions used, with the introduction of woody vegetation, particularly tall shrubs and trees, proving most effective. The results show that the scenario-based approach allows for flexible streetscape design, enabling the application of individually selected NbSs. Moreover, the approach helps to select optimal elements that enhance the provision of ES crucial to adapting cities to climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Efficient Land Use and Sustainable Development in European Countries)
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22 pages, 263 KiB  
Article
Experiences of Using Urban Growth Agreements to Influence Local Land Use Policy and Stop Sprawl
by Aud Tennøy, Gro Sandkjær Hanssen and Einar Leknes
Land 2025, 14(2), 333; https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020333 - 6 Feb 2025
Viewed by 822
Abstract
Urban growth agreements are key tools for achieving the goal of zero growth in passenger road traffic volumes in Norwegian metropolitan areas. Agreements are negotiated in multi-level and cross-sectoral processes where local politicians meet strong expectations and incentives to alter their land use [...] Read more.
Urban growth agreements are key tools for achieving the goal of zero growth in passenger road traffic volumes in Norwegian metropolitan areas. Agreements are negotiated in multi-level and cross-sectoral processes where local politicians meet strong expectations and incentives to alter their land use policies and stop sprawl. This paper analyses the effectiveness of the policy instrument in influencing local land use policy, whereby key issues were raised in the negotiations concerning land use, local politicians’ reflections on changing their policies and why they were reluctant to stop sprawl. This research was designed as a comparative case study with three negotiation processes as cases. Data were collected through document studies and interviews with 36 professionals and politicians. Key issues in the negotiations over land use regarded principles of authority in land use planning and decision-making and substantial disagreements concerning land use policies. Local politicians saw sprawl as necessary for attaining local objectives. Conflicting framings of the policy issue, namely ‘stopping sprawl to achieve zero traffic growth’ and ‘continuing sprawl to attain local objectives’, explained the policy controversy that made discourse difficult. The resulting agreements did not directly influence local land use policies but might have an effect in the longer term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Efficient Land Use and Sustainable Development in European Countries)
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